Till Death Do Us Part
by Yoyonori
Summary: All Lucy wanted was some rent money and all Natsu wanted was a fight. Now she's bound to three Dragon Slayers and the only way to break the shackles is to consummate with one of them. Are you kidding?


**A/N:** I know it's probably bad of me to start a whole new fic when I have Serendipity to write, but this idea sort of hit me like a wave not long after Seren and I couldn't help myself. Updates on Seren may be a little slow just because motivation is a little hard to come by for the story. My fault, I should have planned it out better.

This story however, I assure you has a plot and my fingers just itched to write it. And, uh, yeah, it's going to be a bit of a harem for Lucy.

Thanks for being patient.

* * *

 _ **Disclaimer:** Fairy Tail and all the characters associated in this fanfic belongs solely to Mashima Hiro._

* * *

 _Chapter 1_

 _._

During the early hours of the AM, the sun rose far out into the horizon at the east-end. The sun, yet to reach its peak meant that the presence of the moon still lingered in the form of cool air, spritz of dew dusting the atmosphere. There were few people out at this time, all that could be heard was the clack of shoes or small carts containing produce on cobblestone, echoing. It was one of those magical moments that one only seems to experience at the brink of dawn; where the sky is flushed pink with an orange and yellow undertone, stars still vaguely dotting the sky; where the air just seemed so much fresher and the unpopulated streets welcoming a sense of freedom. Time was at a standstill for however long the moment lasted. It came as fast as it went, but it was enough.

If people asked why Natsu was an early riser, this would be his answer. That special moment during the morning where surrealism existed on a physical plane rather than suppressed desires in the back of our minds. Or, at least that would be what he would say if Natsu was articulate enough to fashion a sentence of that calibre. Instead, he opted with a shrug or an "I just wake up."

Natsu didn't just appreciate the mornings, but also the morning walks he would often take with his small, blue pal. Or cat. A small, blue cat that flew and spoke. Today, however, Natsu's feet had an actual purpose rather than his usual mind-wandering stroll or turning up to the guild shockingly early on some occasions. He was known to do so, and sometimes Mira would tell him to turn back around and go somewhere else so she at least had a chance to set up.

Unlacing his fingers from behind his head, small tufts of pink sifting through, Natsu slid his hands down to his sides and into the pockets of his pants, his left-hand scavenging for something in particular. It took a fondle or two of coins, a button and a- is that the shell of a beetle? Finally, having found it in the deep recesses that were his pockets, he gave it a light squeeze, a smile carving into his features. He knew. He knew as well as anyone else in the guild just how the shock and gratitude would play out on his partner's face and he simply couldn't wait. The Fire Mage could feel the mirth flourishing inside of him, much like the butterflies he experienced right before a challenge. Of course, butterflies of the excited variety.

With this thought in mind and something to look forward to, his pace quickened, a slight skip in his step. Soon enough, he was running at break-neck speed. The wind felt good on his face, and it cooled down the rising warmth in his cheeks from the exhilaration. He couldn't reach his destination any faster even if he tried – and, believe it or not, he tried. From jumping, aiming for larger strides to using the blast of his fire to propel him an even greater distance, leaving behind a wake of destruction.

The shop owners of knick-knack goods the excited youth passed by smiled at him tenderly, shaking their head at the typical display that often followed suit whenever the Dragonslayer was within the vicinity.

 _Not._

They screamed and yelled at his retreating figure, fists raised in irritation. They demanded compensation or simply begged for him to stop his childish antics and just walk like a normal human being. Gods be damned that the poor shop owners only wanted their business to run for at least two weeks before having to shut down due to reconstruction for the umpteenth time. They didn't have to ask Natsu what his affiliation was because they always knew to send the bill to Fairy Tail. A very common occurrence that still grated on the nerves of the guild master.

Natsu lost both track of time and himself on the rush of the journey. If time had stopped at the brink of dawn, then now it was moving faster than it ever had. So caught up in the moment, he had almost flashed right past Strawberry Street. He retraced his steps, stopping in front of one window, Lucy's window. The aforementioned blue cat hovered around Natsu, sharing a knowing look and then grinning.

"Happy, fly me u-"

"Already on it."

As if having read his friend's mind, the exceed had already a hold on the Fire Mage, lifting him up with a single huff and coasting him up to the window. Natsu, now face to face with glass, had realized that instead of seeing inside of the room and only a transparent reflection of himself, the fragile surface mirrored each and every aspect of his features perfectly. The curtain was closed leaving nothing in the background to obstruct the mirroring effect. Lucy wasn't the earliest of risers – well, she definitely didn't wake up as early as Natsu – but seeing that her curtain was still closed made him just the slightest bit curious. In the next second though, he simply brushed it off as just an extra an hour of sleep, or, as his partner liked to call it, _beauty sleep_.

The young and boisterous male, never one to be gentle (or quiet), flung open the window with great fervour, knowing full well that it was never locked. The window met the edge with a very loud and very concerning _bang_.

"Mornin' Luce!" Natsu hollered as he jumped inside, followed by Happy. When there was no reply, it finally dawned on the male that her entire place was still dark, like night had never left. Shards of light dusted her bed and dresser, but nothing more.

"Luce?" he called out again, quieter this time. He could smell her scent, so she was obviously here. Though Lucy's apartment housed her scent, so everything smelt like her. With the bed by the window, he would have seen her straight away if she was still inside the comforter, but she wasn't. Just a messy toss of what it once was. He searched the room in the dark, guided by his nose. The first place he searched was the bathroom. It was empty, and dark too. He finished searching the main room and still nothing. By the time he had reached the kitchen, his foot kicked something pleasantly soft and squishy, met with the sound of a soul-sucking groan emanating from below him. He nudged his foot against… whatever it was again, just to really make sure he wasn't imagining things and another groan emerged from underneath.

Natsu kneeled down beside the _thing_ and the scent of his partner became evidently stronger. Gradually, his eyes adjusted just enough in the dark to make out the silhouette of her voluptuous form lying face down and sprawled out across the floor. Just as he was scooping her figure into his arms, laying her head to rest against his knee, Happy flittered into the room, floating above the two mages.

Natsu leaned in uncomfortably close to the Celestial Mage's face, searching her up and down, observing. Her normally delicate features were now contorted into a painful grimace, teeth baring slightly in an attempt to control whatever it was she was trying to keep in check. The fire mage and exceed split a wary look before turning to face their blonde friend.

"Lucy?" They called in unison. Natsu jostled the girl in his arms, urging a response other than a throaty complaint. Finally, the Celestial Mage signalled the other that although she looked and sounded like she was having a near-death experience, she was alive. Somewhat.

"You kicked me in the boob…"

"Huh," Natsu blinked.

" _Twice,_ " Lucy weakly added. Before Natsu had a chance to chime in, a loud and desperate grumble filled the atmosphere, bouncing off the walls and making the sound draw out longer than it should have. Painfully so. Yikes.

"Uh, sorry Luce. I don't have any food. Oh! Bugs can be eaten though, right? I have a beetle shell-" began Natsu, maintaining his balance plus Lucy's added weight as he started searching through his pockets for the shedding of a beetle with one of his hands. Though his actions were adjourned by a very disgusted _'_ _ugh_ _'_ from his teammate.

"How about no. I just… I just need some proper food."

The Dragonslayer cocked his head quizzically. "Then eat?"

"I wouldn't be dying of starvation if I could," he shot her another questioning look. "Just look in the fridge," Lucy motioned in the direction of the cold food storage.

Natsu did as instructed, but not before hoisting up his companion and helping her onto the chair of a dining set. He didn't waste a moment in following her command, opening up the fridge door. His eyes widened and in a flash moment, he saw the universe and then white. His mouth agape in disbelief and his soul wept. There was nothing. Literally. Just a cold, white oblivion staring back at him. From behind, Lucy could hear the rattle of her fridge door getting louder by the second. Using the fridge light to see, she could just make out Natsu's hand shaking along the rim of the door. Violently. Their blue friend flittered over to the fridge himself, wondering what the commotion was before he near-burst into tears. In a very sudden movement – that honestly should have snapped his neck – the Fire Mage turned to look at Lucy, an expression of pure horror masking his face. Before the shocked Slayer could say anything, Lucy raised a hand to silence him.

"I don't have any money. None. I haven't eaten since yesterday either, so if you came here for food well that's just too bad."

Natsu offered the girl a troubled look, but it was gone with a blink as realization struck him. Digging into his pockets, he pulled out a scrunched-up piece of paper then threw it to Lucy. She caught it with ease but eyed it with perplex. With an encouraging nod from her companion, she unravelled it and her eyes fluttered in disbelief and her head went dizzy from not just the lack of food, but from the astounding reward of the job request.

"You're _kidding!_ This could cover my rent for months, even if we split the money! Where, how-?"

Natsu threw his head back, a proud and accomplished cackle escaping his lips. He swiped a finger under his nose, a grin still very much highlighting his face. "Mira reserved it for us especially. Well, all of Team Natsu, but Gray and Erza already went off on their own just before Mira had found this. I went in this morning and she called me over, said that if you," he pointed at the blonde. "Were having trouble with rent money, then the less people to split with, the better."

"And the better it is!" Lucy burst, renewed vigour and enthusiasm momentarily allowing her the luxury to forget the catastrophic state her stomach was dealing with. That is, until reality hit and she wobbled as wave after wave of headache penetrated her skull. Natsu, ever-ready, bolted by her side and caught her. Really, with how often he had come to her rescue, it was more muscle memory than anything.

"Have you the read the rest of it?" He asked, a slight chirp in his voice. At his query, Lucy read back over the request, trying her hardest to ignore the hefty sum that seemed to obnoxiously be in a much larger and bolder print than everything else. She squinted her eyes as hunger clouded her senses.

"Uhm, it is required that we arrest an A-class witch," she read aloud. "That's it, that's all it says? Nothing on her magic or nada."

"Nope," Natsu hummed. "But isn't it great, Luce?"

"Sure it's great, it's more than great! Just… Having no details on what we'll be dealing with is a little suspicious. Isn't it?"

"Not really? As long as we beat whatever it is, then we're fine."

"I suppose. Thank Mira and her lucky stars. Thank you too."

The pink haired youth nodded with pride, his hands on his hips. The boy was simply glowing before he was pulled from his moment of celebration with a _'_ _wait,_ _'_ coming from Lucy.

"Natsu, did you read the fine print?"

' _Fine print? There was fine print?'_

"It says not to meet the requester and to deal with the issue asap. Also, it's the small village of Mezereon."

The Fire Mage wondered why it required his attention. It was just a small village, and if it was in fine print, then it couldn't have been that important. But why was the location in fine print? That should have been an important detail. And important it was.

"Natsu that's… That's a three-day train ride from here." Natsu choked on his spit, paling into a sickly green and he was starting to wonder if the money was even worth _three whole days_ of pain and suffering and all things wrong with the world.

"Natsu!" His blue friend called, but his words became a dull haze in his ears.

By this time, Lucy was standing in front of him and trying to pull him back from the abyss of motion sickness he was yet to battle. The fire had diminished in the, well, fire mage. He cradled his face, his partner unaware of the inner turmoil that was brewing within him.

' _A three-day train ride. I might just die before I even get to battle the thing. I could just take another request, couldn't I? One that's closer, maybe within walking distance. Hey, we could just walk to Mezreoeaonblahblah, but how long would that take? Lucy might not want to. She seemed really happy to see how much the reward was gonna be as well. But it's three whole daysssssss. But Lucyyyyyyy. BUT TRAINSSSS.'_

"Natsu?" Lucy whispered as she placed a dainty hand to his toned shoulder, Happy buzzing behind her and peering in at his face. He was dragged from his thoughts and he looked up at her. "If it's too much, we can just take another job," sincerity coating her words.

His ears perked up at the suggestion and he almost said yes, but stopped himself when he saw a somewhat disappointed expression painting her features. She was waiting for him to agree. "Nah, let's go. I'm already packed."

Lucy's eyes widened in surprise then a smile quickly tugged at her lips. "Packed? You have nothing on you."

"Exactly, I'm always ready!"

* * *

Engines squealed, smoke and burning coal attacked his nose. His senses dulled as the stink of pollution congested in his airways and Natsu could have sworn the muck and grime of soot was blanketing on the walls of his throat. All because he was breathing that shit in. But the worst of it all, the presence of the looming, metal behemoth was enough to make the skin on Natsu crawl. Twice. With its doors open, person after person just kept getting swallowed up into the belly of the beast, and the Dragonslayer wanted no part in it. Especially not for three days. They had the gall to laugh and joke at each other as they boarded. Did they realize that they just sentenced themselves to a world of unimaginable suffering? Natsu shrunk into himself, hesitant on continuing.

"Actually, I'm not ready. Let's go take another job." The Slayer (who now looked more like a mouse in the face of a moving tin-can) already turning on his heels.

"No!" His partner jerked on his arm. "I'm already packed, and Natsu, I _really_ need this money. Please, please, _please_ don't destroy anything when we get there." When he didn't answer, she leaned in dangerously close to his face, standing on the tips of her toes to equalise their height and further intimidate him as she gave him a truly evil eye, glinting darkly behind a waterfall of gold. Natsu was sure she learnt that look from Erza. "Promise me," she said in a threateningly low voice.

' _She seems especially scary today_ ,' his thoughts added.

He swallowed a very uncomfortable gulp of air – seemingly having been lodged in his throat and didn't realise until now – and nodded. Not because he wanted to, but because he was willed to. Sweat was beading at his hairline and at this point, he didn't know if it was because of the impending train ride that was yet to come, or Erza junior. Probably both. He shook the thought away, refusing to acknowledge that eventually, maybe even sometime soon, he'd have to deal with two Titania's. And he really did not want to deal with that kind of added stress at a train station.

The Slayer looked around himself, only just realizing that his blonde companion was no longer by his side. When did she let go of his arm?

"Natsu!" He saw her flagging him down by the train doors. That could only mean one thing.

 _We're getting on the train_. "We're getting on the train!" She called out, practically in sync with his own thoughts and reconfirming his fears. He was seriously dreading this trip with all of his heart and soul. He crossed his arms in an act of defiance, which to Lucy, looked more like an attempt to ease his unsettled stomach. Grumbling a colourful lot of vocab Lucy didn't even know Natsu knew _existed_ let alone the actual meaning of, he trudged towards her. Seeing that he was (unwillingly) heading towards the train, his blonde companion disappeared behind the doors first to settle into their cabin. Trailing after her, he could see that she was tucking in one pink, large sized suitcase into the overhead storage. Well, shoved would be the more correct term seeing as how overstuffed her case was. If it was three days to get there, then that meant three days to get back, and who knows how long the actual mission was going to take. Hopefully not very long. Natsu on the other hand just had whatever crap lay in the depths of his pockets. Lucy could only pray that on the duration of this outing, Natsu was going to wash his clothes or they would not be sharing a cabin back. And that he had money because she wanted to sleep in a bed.

Natsu had seated himself down in front of Lucy. He wasn't yet feeling queasy, many thanks to the heavens above that they ran into Wendy on their way to the train station. The Fire Mage was at the mercy of the poor, young soul, pleading that if possible, her Troia spell would last the duration of their three-day trip. He knew it probably wasn't going to be the case, but being the optimist that he was, he dumbly held onto a thin thread of hope. That hope was very much cut by large, impending scissors in mockery. Eight hours at most her spell would last, and then what? He was going to throw himself out of the damn window and walk the rest of the way, that's what. But what really had Natsu reeling was that Happy had the nerve to ditch him (and Lucy) in favour of Charle and Wendy.

" _Sorry Natsu, but you're gonna be really grouchy and grumpy and no fun for three-days on a train. Besides, Wendy and Charle are going to help move lots of fish into another lake! I mean, if there's too many in one lake then they can give the leftovers to me but-"_

Natsu promptly groaned inwardly and outwardly just remembering. Fish and Charle, of course he'd be won over. The Slayer, having the dread of this travel weigh him down and fear congest in his mind didn't even realise that they were already moving. When he looked up at his partner, her head was stuck in a book. A big, _big_ book that also looked to be at least half her weight. Where it came from, he didn't know.

"What'cha reading about?" He wasn't a reader, he was a fighter, everyone knew; but if it was going to be three days, they needed something to talk about. Plus, there was no gut-retching nor bile sloshing about in his mouth to occupy him, not for eight hours, anyway. Natsu quirked his brow when Lucy didn't respond to his none-so-quiet question. He leaned over, as much as his spine would allow him and right into her personal space. "Heyyy, Lucy?" Nothing. They were, well, nose to forehead, considering she was looking down. He blew on her face, ruffled her hair and pulled ridiculously ugly faces but she still didn't pay him any heed. Only when he slammed his face right into the crook of her book, preventing her from reading further did she slam the tome shut, sandwiching his cheeks between the pages.

"Och!"

"Maybe there was a reason I was ignoring you."

"Buh ish bo'ing shi'ing in shilents."

"What?"

"I shaid 'ish bo'ing shi'ing in shilents.'"

" _What on earth-_ " Beneath her, pink hair shifted from between the hardcover, breathing sounding strangely erratic. Pink hair shifted once again but with more ferocity to break free before it finally dawned on the girl. "Oh!" She exclaimed finally releasing the mage, thankful that he flailed about as he did rather than choosing to simply light the book up, as easy as it would have been.

Rubbing at his lower jaw and gaping it open and shut to release tension, Natsu clarified. "It's boring sitting in silence. We should play a game!"

"No," was his partner's curt answer. Short and brief, and went back to skimming words on aged paper. The edges were so frayed, he wondered how the pages didn't crumble into ash upon contact. Lucy was delicate, but he literally faceplanted right into the crook of the spine.

"Then tell me what you're reading."

She looked up at him from under her lashes. A quiet stare that almost held a look of defeat, but quickly fluttered its gaze back down. "Natsu, I'm reading." Insinuating that she wasn't going to read _and_ talk.

"Yeah, and? Tell me, tell me. I'm bored out of my mind," he urged, never one to catch a hint.

"Then sleep, or look out the window." He scrunched his nose up at her suggestion but attempted to view the passing scenery. Anything to appease the built-up energy that had nowhere to go. Her suggestion didn't do much to help though as everything zipped and flashed by, his eyeballs had whiplash just trying to keep up with the passing trees or mountains but everything was just a goddamn blur and fuck it all he was just gonna bug Lucy.

The Slayer stood up from his seat with a start, in turn causing Lucy to jump about five feet from her own place at the abrupt movement. She eyed him as he casually shifted into place beside her, grinning. She did not like where this was going.

"So-"

"No."

"Come oooon, just talk to me at least."

"I am," she said with a sternness to her voice, brows furrowing. He burrowed his head into her arm, finding a weirdly hard spot on his skull to drill into her sensitively supple flesh.

"Hell!" She screeched trying to scoot away from him. "Ow, ow! Sto- Fffuh. Natsu!" The mischievous male pulled away with a cackle, relishing in the first bit of entertainment he's had since boarding. The moment was soon gone though as his companion scowled at him and once again attempted to ignore her rather irksome partner. That did not dampen the male's tenacity, however. He now rested a chin onto her shoulder pushing their faces as close as they could get, reading whatever it was she was, or trying to. There were a lot of big words and Natsu preferred communication in the form of fists and explosions.

"Binding magic?"

A sigh of defeat breezed past Natsu's cheek. "Yes, Natsu. I'm reading up on various types of magic."

Natsu cocked a brow. "What for?"

"Why not?" She shot back. Their cheeks still connected, the Slayer just eyed her as best he could from the angle he was in. "I just thought it would be interesting, okay? It might also help me be more tactful during battles where my strength might not measure up to my opponent. If I know what I'm up against and can recognise their magic, maybe I can think of counterattacks best I can despite not knowing their fighting style."

Natsu's mouth circled, forming an _'o'_ shape in response because he had kind of zoned out during her explanation but didn't really want to appear uninterested. Tactics just weren't him. "So, what kind of magic are ya reading up on now?"

"I haven't even flipped the page."

"Oh, okay. And?"

"'And' what?"

"And, how is it?"

"It's intriguing and informative so please let me read."

Natsu groaned internally and externally, the feeling of loss sagging down his body and weighing down Lucy along with him. She jerked her shoulder, trying to shuffle him off, which to her surprise actually worked. The Fire Mage flopped his head back onto the head rest and let out another complaining grumble. "I'm just gonna go to sleep." It wasn't long before slumber actually hit and Natsu clocked out for the time being.

* * *

Three long, torturous days later, the train pulled into Mezereon. The train station was all but bustling with new passengers. Very few sprinted to the train doors to new destinations. They literally ran to the doors, some fumbling over each other to get in first. Seven people at most had flew past them, but no one seemed to get off other than her and Natsu. Lucy had heard that the town was small, but perhaps _miniscule_ would be a more accurate term.

The Stellar Mage looked to her side only to find it companionless. Her eyes hovered down, finding Natsu resting his forehead against stone, a raging battle still playing out in his stomach. She sympathised with him. He had awoken on several occasions during the ride to run off to the lavatory, coming back and then having to go again. When Troia had worn off, he laid in Lucy's lap while she continued to read, resting the heavy book on his head seeing as though she had no lap to rest it on. Though Natsu wasn't given the luxury of sleeping through the whole three days, and it seemed that even in his sleep, his stomach acids just loved to wreak havoc so he just kinda slept in the toilet stall for convenience sake.

Judging by the position he was in currently, Natsu had yet to fully recover. Lucy knelt beside her partner and without a word, threw a tan arm over her shoulder, one hand supported his body while the other held onto an overfilled suitcase. Now it was Lucy's turn to be his pinnacle of support, but how the hell was she going to manage this? She stumbled a bit under the weight of his muscles plus the added sharp pain that coursed through her abdomen, a pain settling within her pelvic area and pooled. Then the flood gates opened.

' _This is what I get for sitting on my ass for three days.'_

She huffed with a newfound resolve and strength she didn't know she had. Well, not after three days, her own muscles were still adapting to use at having nothing to do but read, eat or sleep for the whole trip. Her legs were also pretty numb since Natsu's head occupied her lap for most of the ride. On and off, of course.

With Natsu anchoring her down and a suitcase nagging on every nook and cranny in her damn path, she trudged on, sheer irritation fuelling her every step.

Lucy was glad to see that the train station was not posted far from the actual village. She ignored the lack of activity within the community until about thirty minutes in of her venturing and scouring of a bed and breakfast. Thankfully, Natsu had at least regained the strength and motivation to continue the trek on his own two feet, though he was still a little dazed. The further in Lucy travelled, the more ominous the quaint town felt. There was not a single soul to be seen within a ten-meter radius. There were no people bantering or selling goods, no one just walking along to get from Point A to Point B, no one; and Lucy felt the fine hairs on her skin stand prouder than Loke's ego.

"Hey Natsu,"

"Mn?"

"Where is everyone?"

His mind was still a bit hazy and while his stomach had mostly calmed down, he was still a bit nauseous, causing his reaction to be somewhat delayed. He took a moment to process her words, they mostly sounded like a buzz in his ears at first until one, big breath of fresh air later, his head cleared a little better and he sniffed the vicinity.

"Everyone's inside."

"Inside? _Everyone?_ "

"Isn't that what I just said?"

Lucy tapped an anxious finger against her lip, wondering how every person in town just so happened to be inside at the same time. There were no signs of anyone seeming to leave the sanctuary of their homes and with dusk casting overheard, Lucy just felt as if a heart had grown within her heart, doubling her heart-rate (literally) and she just couldn't shake this weird, eerie feeling housing itself into her bones.

"I don't see a bed and breakfast anywhere either…"

"Then we'll just camp out for the night, no big deal, yeah?"

Lucy glanced up at Natsu, a little startled when he was staring back down at her curiously. Her eyebrows knitted into slight concern and a small frown tugging at her lips before letting her whole expression deflate. "I suppose. Maybe I'm just a bit apprehensive because the town is really empty. You say there's people inside but everything just seems so… lifeless. Also, the part where it says not to meet the requester is starting to sound more and more like an omen."

"Luce, you're crazy."

"Natsu, you're rude."

He just shrugged her off. "Oh," he perked, as if remembering something. "It said to deal with the issue asap, right?"

"It did. Wait. No, _no, no, no_. Not now, Natsu," Lucy whined. "It's dark and this place is creepy and I really just want to stretch out and rest. First light, I promise." She batted her eyelashes at her teammate, pleading with the same charm she used on every other male when she wanted something. He had noticed her applying pressure to her stomach earlier, but brushed it off. Maybe she really did need to rest. So, he relented, his concern for Lucy's health came first. He himself would feel renewed after a decent sleep, though fighting usually did the trick in reenergizing him, sleeping was a close second.

"Okay. Then let's go." He started marching off ahead of Lucy, expecting her to follow in his wake.

"Go? Go where?" Panic started to cloud her judgement when she saw that Natsu was walking right towards the edge of the forest. "Natsu, this town is creepy and now you want to sleep in the forest right next to it?!" She whisper-screeched. He just looked back at her over his shoulder, confused.

"Yeah? We'll be fine. We're mages of Fairy Tail after all," he beamed.

"Mages of Fairy Tail have fears too," she grumbled under her breath, but did not bother to further protest. He was right, Natsu was more than capable and Lucy could hold her own. People could say what they wanted about her, but she'd be damned if she wasn't willing to go down without a fight.

They trekked through bush, the night had quickly settled in leaving the two with whatever moonlight that filtered through the forest tree leaves to navigate. It wasn't very much. Natsu had offered to set aflame his hand, but Lucy had immediately shut him down on that idea. He was not going to cause destruction before they had even actually battled the witch. Natsu was leading them further and further into the forest, brushing past shrubbery and pushing aside protruding branches which promptly flicked Lucy in the face as she followed her partner's guiding. There were cicadas roaming about and the longer the walk seemed to drag on, the louder the shrill of their sound got, irritating Lucy to no end. Sweat clung to her skin and vegetation clung to her sweat, making her itch in all the wrong places. What a day to wear a tank top and shorts. She still had to lug her suitcase around too, which didn't make the hike any easier when it snagged on loose roots and stones in the path. She cursed her luck. If bushwalking was no fun during the day, then it certainly didn't get any better at night. At this point she was just mindlessly walking, making sure not to lose sight of Natsu's head of pink every so often. She noticed a second too late when Natsu had abruptly stopped walking in front of her, causing her to crash into a solid wall of muscle. He didn't even teeter when she walked right into him.

"Why did you stop?" The Celestial Mage asked as she rubbed her nose.

"Shh." Natsu didn't say anything more after that. Tilting his head, he began attuning his senses. "I can smell people. Three others in the distance."

Lucy's heart began to hammer in her ears, her hands inching towards the keys residing on her hip.

"Can you…sense anything hostile?"

He sniffed the air again. "Dunno."

Suddenly, there was a sharp breeze overhead and a bone-snapping thud a few feet away from the two Fairy Mages. They instantly readied themselves into a defensive stance, Natsu was the first to make his way towards the noise while Lucy was wary. The creaking of fresh bark snapping away echoed into the late hours of the night and then the thump of a heavy trunk shook the ground. Surrounding trees shaking off their loose leaves at the impact and fluttering to the ground, two shadowy silhouettes rose from the ground nearby. They were groaning in pain, their limbs moving to what Lucy assumed was to rub at their aching wounds. Beside her, Natsu engulfed his fist in flames to illuminate the vicinity and get a better look at the sudden arrival of their neighbours, his face falling at the sight. Lucy squinted her eyes, they had just adapted to navigating in the dark that the sudden shift in brightness hurt. She blinked away the phosphenes that gathered behind her eyelids and any weariness she had felt weigh her down before, was gone when she finally realized who the two people were.

"Just what are the Twin Dragons of Sabertooth doing here?"

* * *

 **A/N:** Um, holy shit? I don't think I'll ever be able to write that much for future chapters, but I'm gonna try and make it my personal goal to always write over 3k for each chapter.

Apologies for any mistakes you might have noticed, I totally skimmed over this when editing. Any and all reviews are greatly appreciated.


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